Former deputy Nathan Gastineau sentenced to 13 years in prison

Former San Bernardino County sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Gastineau is sentenced to the maximum at San Bernardino Superior Court on Friday.
photos by Rachel Luna — Staff Photographer

SAN BERNARDINO >> A San Bernardino Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced former sheriff’s deputy Nathan Gastineau to 13 years and 8 months in state prison for having sex with a teen sheriff’s Explorer and possessing child pornography.

It was the maximum sentence Gastineau could have received for the 17 felony counts for which he had been convicted.

“I wish I could have spared my daughter from the pain you inflicted on her,” the victim’s father read in a prepared statement to Gastineau.

The victim’s father described Gastineau as “the most evil bastard ever to wear a badge.”

“What you really are Nathan Gastineau, is a predator of the worst kind. A predator with a badge,” the father said.

Gastineau was convicted in January of 16 counts of unlawful sex with a teen Explorer and one count of possessing child pornography. In addition to his prison term, he must register as a sex offender for life.

Both of the victim’s parents read statements during the hearing, speaking about the toll the incident has had on Jane Doe — who is now an adult.

“My daughter was exploited and hurt physically and emotionally,” the victim’s mother said in court.

“I worry about how this will continue to effect my daughter in the future.”

Gastineau, now 33, worked out of the sheriff’s Highland station and supervised the Explorer program when he met the girl in 2010. She was 15 at the time.

The girl testified during trial that the two had sex in Gastineau’s apartment about once a week from October 2010 to April 2011.

From the beginning, Gastineau has only accepted responsibility for a single sex act with the girl, which he called a monumental mistake and a huge lapse in judgment during a prepared statement Friday.

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Gastineau also said he was sorry for any harm he caused.

“It is my hope that my future actions will speak louder than my words,” he said to Judge William Jefferson Powell.

Defense attorney, Andrew Haynal, suggested Gastineau be sentenced to one year in county jail and assigned 3 to 5 years of probation — as opposed to a lengthy state prison sentence.

“State incarceration would be much harder for him than any other inmate,” Haynal said.

He referenced the case of Laura Whitehurst — the former Redlands high school teacher charged with committing sex acts with students, including one who allegedly fathered her baby — who was sentenced to one year in county jail after accepting a plea bargain.

But Judge Powell said this case is not the same as other cases with similar charges.

“The defendant stands in a particular and unique position ... for the defendant to be a law enforcement officer abusing a child he met while on duty,” Powell said.

Gastineau’s family said they did not want to comment at this time, except to say they plan to appeal.

But family friend, Bonnie Lucas, stood up for the defendant.

“I can accept the fact that he did this one time. The 16 other times the girl talked about is 16 egregious lies,” Lucas said.

Gastineau’s case was the first of several involving deputies and Explorers that came to light in spring 2011, a development that then-Sheriff Rod Hoops called “a sad day for the department.”

Gastineau and another man, Jason Anguiano of Rialto, were both arrested in April of that year on suspicion of having sex with the same girl in the Explorer program. Anguiano was not a deputy.

A third deputy stationed in Yucaipa was also a target of an investigation into inappropriate conduct with a girl in the Explorer program, but that case was rejected by prosecutors due to insufficient evidence.

Hoops suspended the Explorer ride-along program for two months while the department conducted a review of the program.